Cedar Rapids Man Reaches Rare Life-Saving Milestone

Rich Patterson of Cedar Rapids has just done what few others have. He just donated his 100th unit of blood at ImpactLife in Cedar Rapids.

According to a talk Patterson had with CBS2, this normally takes about 20 years, with only five blood donations allowed per year, so to achieve it takes a level of commitment to others that few people have.

Today is a special day, I'm celebrating to a small degree because I'm donating my 100th unit of blood in Cedar Rapids

Patterson estimates that he has been giving blood since he was about 17. He was doing it as a high-schooler in New Jersey, during college in Idaho, during the time he was working in Alaska, while in grad school in Colorado, and for a time when he was living in Kansas.

None of those even count towards the milestone 100 donations we're referring to. We're talking strictly black and gold Hawkeye state blood donations here so as you can tell, he's been a dedicated donor for a very long time.

If it weren't for a diagnosis and removal of prostate cancer that, by regulations, kept him from being allowed to donate for five years, he thinks he'd be marking about 120 units of blood donation.

It's not just a time commitment that's become a habit over Patterson's life. He's learned a thing or two about how much benefit it really has on others, and it's said that every unit of blood donated can potentially save three lives.

Kudos to Rich Patterson for his longtime dedication to a simple life-saving habit.